1961 Ford Unibody - Rat Bastard

In terms of power, the options were unlimited, but once again, the Bow Tie seemed to be the answer. If there's ever a question that Rick and Ralph always hear, it's, "Why a Chevy in a Ford?" Their answer is, "Why not?" On top of that, they find pleasure in seeing diehard Blue Oval fans' blood pressure rise! The Bow Tie served up a '70 LS6-in laymen's terms, a 454-to propel the hauler down the road. From there, the LS6 was bored out to a 468. Next, the bottom end was assembled using forged Speed Pro 10.25:1 pistons with Childs & Albert rings and a Crane roller cam with, quote unquote, "A lot of lift and duration!"

As for the motor's top end, Ralph installed an Edelbrock dual-quad manifold with two Edelbrock 750-cfm carburetors. In terms of ignition, an MSD box with timing retard was chosen to ensure a safe pass when the little red button unleashes the 300-shot nitrous system. Altogether, the squeezed rat motor cranks out an estimated 750 horsepower and rockets the '61 through the quarter-mile traps with a time of 10.98 @ 122 mph. Behind the rat sits a built Turbo 350 tranny with a TCI converter at 2,800 stall speed and a B&M trans cooler.

Weaving its way into the shock and awe package is the truck's chopped top. Ralph had Flash's Auto Body in Spokane, Washington, bust out the Sawzall and hack 4 inches out of the B-pillar and 5 inches from the A-pillar. Along with the chopped top, the trim has been removed, holes have been filled, the tailgate has been smoothed and louvered, and the handle and filler neck have been shaved as well.

When Rick got the truck, it was painted solid black, which looked good, but it didn't quite capture the rebellious persona that he was after. Like we said, each family member had given the truck a little bit of character, and when it was Rick's turn, he wanted to give the truck a traditional flame job. Rick enlisted Minor's Body and Fender to spray the truck in a new coat of PPG black, then lay down the traditional flames consisting of PPG white, red, and orange with a blue outline. On the inside, things are pretty simple, but once again, the Bow Tie found a home inside as well due to the fact that the seat is from a '91 Chevy truck. The seat, along with the rest of the interior, is covered in gray cloth. As for a radio-they don't need no stinking radio with that nasty motor under the hood!

Although the truck might not be a legit Ford/Chevy hybrid, it does make for a pretty interesting concept